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At least 46 British tourists have been affected by the illness, caused by the Cyclospora bug.

In 2016, a whopping 443 Britons were affected, while last year saw 78 Britons struck down.

The cause is linked to contaminated food in the area which is delivered to the popular hotel resorts and comes from infected human faeces contaminating the water.

Nick Harris, head of travel at Simpson Millar solicitors representing victims of past and current outbreaks, said: "The current number of victims is just the tip of the iceberg and this is now obviously out of control again but should have been avoided.

“People should have been warned before travelling so that they could make an informed choice. This is beyond belief.”

We strongly urge people to maintain a high standard of food, water and personal hygiene when travelling to the Riviera Maya coast in Mexico

Richard Elson

He has urged travellers to ask for Cyclospora test, otherwise there is a risk that “someone will die before the problem is treated seriously”.

Richard Elson from Public Health England, said: "We strongly urge people to maintain a high standard of food, water and personal hygiene when travelling to the Riviera Maya coast in Mexico and to be aware of the risk of infection from a food and water bug, Cyclospora."

While Mexico is deemed to have some of the most dangerous cities in the world, the popular tourist destinations are considered safe to travel.